for questions about claims based on the influenza virus (e.g. H1N1) and its cures.
Questions tagged [flu]
23 questions
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Do UV air purifiers reduce the risk of being infected by the common cold or the flu?
I've seen several manufacturers make the claim that UV-C air purifiers can prevent the common cold and flu - primarily due to the destruction of viruses. (The ones that only purify air by filtering do not make this claim.)
For example:
US Air…
S.O.S
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Does taking flu vaccinations annually reduce their effectiveness?
A friend of mine tried to say that people shouldn't take vaccines because people who receive flu vaccines year after year can sometimes show reduced protection. This effect has been dubbed the "Canadian Problem".
People who receive flu vaccines…
McKay
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Did the 2008-9 flu shot increase the risk of getting the H1N1 flu?
In this 2018 letter to the British Medical Journal, a retired pediatrician claimed that
In any discussion of influenza epidemiology we should acknowledge the careful and steady (one could even say fearless) work of Danuta Skowronski and her…
Joshua Frank
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Were flu vaccines 9% effective for the elderly in 2013?
I recently saw this video featuring Robert Scott Bell, where he basically says that the flu shot is not terribly effective.
Under the video is this description, in part:
Reports in 2013 state that flu shots were only 9% effective for the…
user11643
3
votes
1 answer
Can the flu shot cause the flu?
I've heard in many places that you can catch the flu from the flu shot. This is in contrast to most other vaccines for some technical reason. I read on Gizmodo today that:
The flu shot does not, and cannot, give you the flu.
Has this been tested?…
user11643
3
votes
1 answer
Did some people in New York in 1918 board a subway feeling healthy and then die from the flu during the subway ride?
We can read here:
In New York there were accounts of people feeling perfectly healthy when they boarded the subway in Coney Island and being taken off dead when they reached Columbus Circle.
Count Iblis
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Has influenza been almost completely wiped out?
According to this article, Simon de Lusignan – professor of primary care at the University of Oxford and director of the Royal College of GPs research and surveillance centre said influenza has now been 'almost completely wiped out.'
In that article…
EmmaV
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Does zinc help with colds and flus?
This question doesn't duplicate the more limited one on Zicam; I ask here about zinc in general.
No: Mayo Clinic (from which I quote below) and WebMD are skeptical.
Since then, research has turned up mixed results about zinc and colds
Possibly…
user16959